Water Resources Management Report Sample: Oman
For information and reference only – not to be submitted as your own work.
This extract shows how a 1,500-word water resources management report can be built for a UWE Bristol Sustainable Resource Management brief, using Oman as the country case. It follows the suggested report structure and uses UWE-style Harvard citations.
Reviewed by: Jacob Stein, Environmental Science Expert (9 years’ experience, as shown on his profile).
See the original UWE Sustainable Resource Management Assignment 1 question, and read our sustainable resource management assignment guide for the planning method behind this extract.
Because the real assessment counts headings, tables and in-text citations towards the limit, the extract below is deliberately compact. It is an abridged model, not a full submission.
Introduction
Oman receives a long-term average of about 125 mm of rainfall a year and holds roughly 1,400 million m³ of renewable water, equal to 483 m³ per inhabitant (UN-Water, 2013). Such a thin natural supply makes water the binding constraint on agriculture, urban growth and industry.
This report analyses the national water sector, tests the main influencing factors, assesses climate change and adaptation, interrogates available data, and recommends actions for Nama Group, the Environment Authority, farmers, communities and policymakers.
Key challenges in Oman’s water sector
Three pressures stand out. First, groundwater supplies most demand, yet abstraction in the Batinah coastal plain has exceeded natural recharge since the late 1980s, and more than 12,000 feddans of cultivable land were lost to salinisation between 1997 and 2010 (IWMI and ICBA, no date).
Second, agriculture dominates use: 88% of the 1,321 million m³ withdrawn in 2003 (UN-Water, 2013). Third, the traditional aflaj are declining, with 3,108 of 4,112 recorded systems still operational in 1997 (IWMI and ICBA, no date).
On the SDG 6.4.2 measure, withdrawals reached 117% of renewable resources once environmental flow requirements are counted (UN-Water, no date). That figure signals structural over-use rather than a temporary shortage.
Analysis of influencing factors
| Factor | Evidence | Effect on supply or demand |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | Arid climate; about 125 mm mean rainfall (UN-Water, 2013) | Low recharge; heavy reliance on stored groundwater |
| Social | Domestic use in the Al Jabal Al Akhdar study area rose from 150,000 m³ (2001) to 580,000 m³ (2012), partly linked to tourism (Al-Kalbani et al., 2014) | Local demand growth outpacing supply planning |
| Economic | Agriculture used over 92% of available water in the same area while contributing 3.7% of national GDP (Al-Kalbani et al., 2014) | Low economic return per cubic metre |
| Cultural | Community-managed aflaj and shared allocation customs (IWMI and ICBA, no date) | Social legitimacy for local water governance, but systems are drying |
| Political | Environment Authority created by Royal Decree 106/2020 (Environment Authority, no date); water and wastewater services consolidated under Royal Decree 131/2020 (Oman Observer, 2021) | Institutional reform improves coordination but is recent |
| Technological | About 65% of desalination capacity uses reverse osmosis (IWMI and ICBA, no date); desalination’s energy demand drives interest in lower-carbon options (Mendoza, 2026) | Supply security gained at an energy and emissions cost |
Political factors deserve the most critical comment. Subsidies reaching 100% of modern irrigation equipment for licensed well owners between 2000 and 2016 aimed to save water, yet they also supported expansion of groundwater-based farming (Molle and Closas, 2017). Efficiency without an abstraction cap can therefore increase total use.
A comparable governance failure appears in Iran’s Rafsanjan plain, where weak policy implementation explains persistent overexploitation (Mirnezami, de Boer and Bagheri, 2020).
Need a model answer for a different country or sector? Submit your assignment details and our subject specialists will prepare a structured reference answer, or see our assignment help in Oman.
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Downscaled CMIP5 projections for northern Oman indicate annual rainfall totals rising by 6–29% in 2040–2059 and 35–67% in 2080–2099, even though the number of wet days falls (Gunawardhana et al., 2018). Intensity dominates the change, and extreme post-monsoon events are expected to increase.
Higher totals therefore do not mean easier supply: more rain arrives as flash floods that run to the sea instead of recharging aquifers.
Recent events confirm the risk. Cyclone Gonu (2007) killed 50 people in Oman and caused about US$4 billion of damage; Cyclone Shaheen (2021) caused at least 14 deaths (Mahmoud, 2021).
Shaheen delivered 369 mm in two days at Khabourah in the Batinah, nearly three times the national annual average (Guy Carpenter, no date). Temperature and rainfall records at Al Jabal Al Akhdar show a rainfall decline of about 9.42 mm per decade between 1979 and 2012 (Al-Kalbani et al., 2014), although the authors caution that their inputs were partly national rather than local.
Existing adaptation measures include recharge dams, estimated to add 30–50 million m³ a year (IWMI and ICBA, no date), and treated wastewater, which grew from 12 to 50 million m³ a year between 2001 and 2010 (UN-Water, 2013).
The gap is scale and integration. Gunawardhana et al. (2018) call for updated intensity-duration-frequency curves and managed aquifer recharge, which suggests current design standards may understate flood risk.
Data analysis
The table applies simple calculations to published national figures. Percentages and ratios are the author’s own calculations from the cited sources.
| Indicator | Value | Calculation and reading |
|---|---|---|
| Total withdrawals, 2003 | 1,321 million m³ | Source figure (UN-Water, 2013) |
| Agricultural withdrawals | about 1,162 million m³ | 88% × 1,321 |
| Municipal withdrawals | about 132 million m³ | 10% × 1,321 |
| Industrial withdrawals | about 26 million m³ | 2% × 1,321 |
| Withdrawals as share of renewable resources, 2003 | about 94% | 1,321 ÷ 1,400; near the limit even before environmental flows |
| Desalinated water, 2001 to 2010 | 55 to 200 million m³ | About 3.6 times higher; a rapid shift to non-conventional supply (UN-Water, 2013) |
| Treated wastewater, 2001 to 2010 | 12 to 50 million m³ | About 4.2 times higher, but still small against agricultural demand |
The 94% ratio and the 117% SDG figure are not directly comparable, because the latter deducts environmental flow requirements and uses a later year (UN-Water, no date). A full report would plot precipitation and surface-water-quality series in Excel or GIS and state data limitations explicitly, including the age of the 2003 and 2010 values.
Recommendations
| Stakeholder | Recommendation | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Nama Group (including its water and wastewater subsidiary) | Prioritise network efficiency and scale up treated water reuse | Reuse remains small against demand; sector focus is shifting from supply security to resource optimisation (Mendoza, 2026) |
| Environment Authority | Strengthen aquifer monitoring in the Batinah and publish salinity data openly | Persistent over-abstraction and salinisation losses (IWMI and ICBA, no date) |
| Farmers | Pair efficient irrigation with abstraction limits and lower-water crops | Subsidised efficiency alone can raise total use (Molle and Closas, 2017) |
| Communities | Protect and rehabilitate priority aflaj through local governance | Declining operational share of aflaj (IWMI and ICBA, no date) |
| Policymakers | Update flood design standards and fund managed aquifer recharge | Intensifying extremes (Gunawardhana et al., 2018) |
How this extract earns marks
| Marking area | Weighting in the brief | How the extract responds |
|---|---|---|
| Explanation and evaluation | 50% | Links each factor to an effect, questions subsidy outcomes and flags limits in the climate and rainfall evidence |
| Reading | 30% | Combines peer-reviewed papers with grey literature from UN-Water, IWMI and national institutions; a full report needs more sources |
| Structure and presentation | 20% | Follows the six suggested headings and uses tables to save words |
Learning outcomes MO1 to MO4 are each visible: national challenges, multi-factor analysis, climate assessment, and data-led communication to stakeholders.
About the expert
Subject support for environmental science briefs comes from Jacob Stein, Environmental Science Expert based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, who has worked for 9 years helping students with scientific reports, research data and long assignments. You can also see our wider science assignment help page, or our geography assignment help for water and land-use topics.
Our samples are reference material. You remain responsible for how you use them and for your university’s rules. For tailored guidance, try our write my assignment service.
References
Al-Kalbani, M.S., Price, M.F., Abahussain, A., Ahmed, M. and O’Higgins, T. (2014) Vulnerability assessment of environmental and climate change impacts on water resources in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Sultanate of Oman. Water, 6(10), pp. 3118–3135. doi:10.3390/w6103118.
Environment Authority (no date) Overview of the Authority. Available at: https://ea.gov.om/en/the-authority/about-authority/overview/ (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Guy Carpenter (no date) CAT Resource Center post event report: Tropical Cyclone Shaheen. Available at: https://guycarp.com/insights/2021/10/CAT-Resource-Center-Post-Event-Report-Tropical-Cyclone-Shaheen.html (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Gunawardhana, L.N., Al-Rawas, G.A., Kwarteng, A.Y., Al-Wardy, M. and Charabi, Y. (2018) Potential changes in the number of wet days and its effect on future intense and annual precipitation in northern Oman. Hydrology Research, 49(1), pp. 237–250. doi:10.2166/nh.2017.188.
IWMI and ICBA (no date) Groundwater governance in the Arab World: taking stock and addressing the challenges – groundwater use and policies in Oman. Colombo: International Water Management Institute. Available at: https://gw-mena.iwmi.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/04/Rep.14-Groundwater-use-and-policies-in-Oman.pdf (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Mahmoud, M. (2021) Cyclone Shaheen: a reminder of the Arabian Peninsula’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. Middle East Institute, 8 October. Available at: https://mei.edu/publication/cyclone-shaheen-reminder-arabian-peninsulas-vulnerability-extreme-weather-events/ (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Mendoza, J. (2026) Oman advances water, circular economy agenda. Oman Observer, 19 May. Available at: https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1189886/business/economy/oman-advances-water-circular-economy-agenda (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Mirnezami, S.J., de Boer, C. and Bagheri, A. (2020) Groundwater governance and implementing the conservation policy: the case study of Rafsanjan Plain in Iran. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22(8), pp. 8183–8210. doi:10.1007/s10668-019-00488-0.
Molle, F. and Closas, A. (2017) Groundwater governance: a synthesis. IWMI Project Report 6. Colombo: International Water Management Institute.
Oman Observer (2021) New entity to oversee potable and wastewater services in Oman. Oman Observer, 6 May. Available at: https://www.omanobserver.om/ampArticle/1100545 (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
UN-Water (2013) Country brief: Oman. FAO AQUASTAT Programme, 3 June. Available at: https://www.unwater.org/sites/default/files/app/uploads/2017/05/OMN_pagebypage.pdf (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
UN-Water (no date) SDG 6 Data Portal: Oman. Available at: https://www.sdg6data.org/en/country-or-area/Oman (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
